Clinical practice in the center: Enhancing learning and collaboration in clinical practice through professional development learning community workshops

Abstract

The traditional model of teacher preparation, which focuses on content and methods courses in a college or university, can create a gap between university faculty and school practitioners. This article describes a series of clinical practice workshops as a viable means to bridge the gap between a university and its partner middle schools in the preparation of middle level teachers. A review of literature in teacher education reveals a priority on field practice over content preparation and methods courses. Accordingly, clinical practice workshops were created as a site of professional development and collaboration among university faculty, supervisors, on-site liaisons, and cooperating teachers. The participants interacted as equal partners. They applied the ideas they learned from the workshops to enhance teacher candidates’ clinical experience. The school practitioners and university faculty also increased their understanding of each other’s needs and have begun to develop a shared vision of effective strategies for teaching young adolescents and mentoring novice teachers. The article details the structure of the workshops, topics for exploration, and logistical strategies. Sample workshop materials and the critical elements are also provided.